Annual Report: More International Students Coming to Estonia
There were 1,900 international students studying in Estonia's institutions of higher education last year - twice as many as in 2008, according to the Statistical Yearbook, which was released Friday.
Most of the students were from Europe, which accounted for nearly 1,500, while about 300 came from Asia.
The total number of people studying at higher education institutions last year was 64,800 including around 3,000 doctoral students.
The goal of Estonia's higher education agenda is to reach 2,000 international students by 2015, reported Postimees. Officials say growth has been fostered by support programs such as the European Social Fund, which finances doctoral studies, and the international advancement program “DoRa,” which promotes Estonian higher education opportunities abroad.
Meanwhile, the number of professional foreign researchers working in Estonia reached 351 - 252 men and 99 women from 53 countries, notably Russia, Germany, Finland and Italy. That compares with 58 researchers of foreign origin in 2004, according to the report.
Last year, 40 percent of 30 to 34-year-olds in Estonia had attained higher education. In the EU, that indicator is highest in Ireland, at around 50 percent; and lowest in Romania and Italy, where it around one-fifth.
